SHORT MEASURES

Jun 20 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal

ITALIAN specialists Canaletto now offer new handy 25cl bottles of two of their best-selling wines – Pinot Grigio della Venezie 2006, a soft, crisp, melony dry white and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006, a chunky plum and cherry-flavoured red.

The bottles are an ideal picnic size, and cost £2.09 (available from Sainsbury's). It all seems a thoroughly good idea – except for the slightly high rather price compared with that of a full 75cl bottle. The new Canaletto Salento Rosé 2007, for example, is a very good buy indeed at £4.99 (from Somerfield). It has a lovely fresh strawberry and cherry smell and a vibrantly fruity taste.

Any wine tastes better if it's served in a high quality glass. Some of the specialist glasses on the market are decidedly pricey, but a new range of five different shapes from Luminarc are both stylish and practical (dishwasher safe) and cost between £9.99 and £11.99 for four. I recommend the Vin Jeune, supposedly designed for young wine, which represents 90% of the wine consumed in the Savage household these days.